THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) 鈥� Britain’s legal watchdog announced on Tuesday that it has upheld a suspension for the embattled chief prosecutor over allegations of sexual misconduct, banning him from practicing law in his home country.
The global court鈥檚 oversight body votes later this month on whether to remove Karim Khan from office. The 56-year-old faces allegations related to a female aide, a scandal that has dragged on for more than two years. He has denied wrongdoing.
In June, the U.K.’s Bar Standards Board , a measure adopted 鈥渋n very serious and urgent cases,鈥� according to the regulator, following a complaint. After a hearing last week, the bar association upheld the decision while disciplinary proceedings are underway.
Khan鈥檚 lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
It comes as the ICC faces increasing threats from the administration of , which has long criticized the court. The ICC was created to be a last resort for pursuing the most serious international crimes: war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression.
The U.S. seeks to 鈥榙ismantle鈥� the ICC
On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. was launching a 鈥渟weeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court to U.S. sovereignty.鈥�
Rubio said he will pressure the court’s 125 member states to withdraw from the institution, sanction organizations that work with the court and ban staff from traveling to the United States. Countries that 鈥渆njoy the benefits of the U.S. security umbrella鈥� will be called upon to reject the court’s jurisdiction over U.S. citizens.
Trump鈥檚 administration already has brought sanctions against Khan and a dozen other ICC staff in retaliation for warrants the court has issued for over the war in Gaza and investigations into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.
The Rome Statute, which created the ICC in 2002, gives the court jurisdiction over crimes that happen on the territory of member states or that are committed by nationals of member states. The U.S. signed the treaty but did not ratify it.
The European Union condemned the new U.S. announcement. 鈥淲e are already facilitating all appropriate measures, including diplomatic, legal and financial avenues, that could help ensure the continuity of the ICC鈥檚 operations,鈥� European Commission spokesperson Siobhan McGarry told reporters.
The sanctions have hit the court hard. Typically reserved for autocrats and crime bosses, . They prevent the ICC officials and their families from entering the U.S., block their access to even basic financial services and extend to the minutiae of their everyday lives.
A final decision on Khan is expected this month
The decision on Khan鈥檚 fate is now up to the Assembly of States Parties, the body that oversees the ICC, which will hold a special session on July 24 at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Days before the British sanction, concluded that Khan had committed serious misconduct and recommended that he be removed from office.
The allegations against Khan were first reported to the court鈥檚 independent watchdog. An revealed that Khan was alleged to have seen the woman working in another ICC department and moved her into his office. She later became a regular presence on official trips, according to whistleblower documents.
On one foreign trip, Khan allegedly asked her to rest with him on a hotel bed and then 鈥渟exually touched her,鈥� the documents said. Other alleged nonconsensual behavior cited in the documents included locking the door of his office and sticking his hand in her pocket. He also allegedly asked her several times to accompany him on a vacation.
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Associated Press writer Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed.
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